Shelving system constructed using bonding

ABSTRACT

A shelving system includes a frame including a pair of spaced apart riser members and at least one shelf extending between the riser members. The at least one shelf is adhesively bonded to the riser members. The at least one shelf may be substantially L-shaped and may include a first surface extending outwards from the riser members and a second surface angled with respect to the first surface and bonded to the riser members.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/405,523, filed Oct. 21, 2010. The entirecontents of the foregoing application are hereby incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND

Shelving systems, such as equipment used in the food service industry,can be exposed to a variety of environmental conditions, including lowtemperatures, high temperatures, fluctuating temperatures, low humidity,high humidity, ice buildup, and corrosion. Such shelving systems must bedurable to withstand heavy loads and frequent handling of stock. As aresult, many shelving systems are constructed using welding, whichprovides a strong construction. However, welded construction alsorequires specialized materials and skilled laborers, which increasesmanufacturing costs and can result in inconsistent and inefficientfabrication.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides easy-to-assemble shelving systems as alow cost alternative to welding for NSF-approved fabrication. In oneaspect, the invention relates to a shelving system that utilizes bondingagents such as adhesives and tapes to provide secure attachment ofshelves to a support frame. In one embodiment, the shelves are attachedto the support structure with an adhesive that provides 20 pounds ofconnective strength and that can withstand temperatures ranging from 10degrees to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a shelving system.

FIG. 2 is a left side view of the shelving system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the shelving system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the view of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective the shelving system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing a portion of the view of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the view of FIG. 5.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of the construction and the arrangements ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The present invention is capable of other embodiments and ofbeing practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for thepurpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will be more completely understood through the followingdetailed description, which should be read in conjunction with theattached drawings. Detailed embodiments of the invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. Therefore, specific functional details disclosed herein are notto be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims andas a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art tovariously employ the invention in virtually any appropriately detailedembodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a front view of a surface mounted shelf system 10is shown in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The system caninclude a plurality of shelves 12, which are mounted to a substantiallyvertical support frame 14. The support frame can include a pair ofvertical risers 16 a, 16 b and one or more cross bars 18 located at thetop, bottom, or middle of the vertical support frame. As shown in FIG.2, which shows a side view of FIG. 1, the shelf system can have asubstantially flat back that facilitates attachment to a smooth surfacesuch as a wall. FIG. 3 shows a back view of the shelf system of FIG. 1.

In one embodiment, each shelf 12 forms a substantially flat andhorizontal support surface 2 and a surface 4 perpendicular to thesupport surface 2, which serves as an attachment area to the verticalsupport frame 14. Thus, the support surface 2 and the surface 4 maycombine to form a substantially L-shaped cross-section.

As will be appreciated, the concepts herein may be applied to shelfsystems having other configurations, such as those taught in U.S. Pat.No. 7,494,019, the entire contents of which are incorporated byreference herein for all purposes.

An alternative embodiment of the shelf may include a T-shaped crosssection (not shown). A T-shaped cross section advantageously increasesthe bonding surface area between the frame 14 and shelf, with one “side”of the T-shape being in compression and the other “side” of the T-shapebeing in tension. Thereby, the bonded strength between the frame 14 andthe shelf is increased. In addition, the bonded area of a shelf 12 withan L-shaped cross section is either in tension or compression, dependingon the specific application for which the shelf is used. Because bondedstrengths in compression tend to be greater, a T-shaped cross sectionadvantageously provides both tensile and compression forces at thebonded joint.

The support frame 14 may be made of any suitable material, such as metal(e.g., aluminum or steel) or plastic. The support frame 14 can be asingle integral piece or may be formed from multiple pieces, which arejoined by welding or adhesive. In some embodiments, the support frame 14is a prefabricated unit to which shelves are later attached.

The shelves 12 can be made of any suitable material, such as metal(e.g., aluminum or steel) or plastic. The shelves 12 can besubstantially flat and horizontal for stacking stored items, slopedforward for dispensing or displaying items, or can have any othersuitable configuration.

The shelves 12 are attached to the support frame 14 using a bondingmaterial such as an adhesive, which provides a secure metal-to-metal ormetal-to-plastic bond. Non-limiting examples of adhesives or bondingmaterials include tape, glue, epoxy, urethane, and/or acrylic. As shownin FIG. 4, that adhesive can be applied between perpendicular surface 4and vertical riser 16 a, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.

Suitable adhesives include 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy Adhesive 1469, eitheralone or in combination with other adhesives. 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ EpoxyAdhesive 1469 is a one-part, 100% solids, thermosetting liquid adhesive.Other adhesives, which may be used either alone or in combination,include 3M™ Scotch-weld™ Neoprene High Performance Contact Adhesive1357, 3M™ Fastbond™ Adhesives 1099 and 1300, and 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ Epoxy,Acrylic and Urethane Adhesives and Instant Adhesives. For example,one-part epoxy adhesives are one-part, 100% solids thermosettingstructural liquid adhesives that bond a variety of metals and hightemperature plastics such as fiberglass reinforced plastics, polyestersand phenolics. Two-part epoxy adhesives are two-part liquids and pastesthat provide high strength and elevated temperature resistance. Acrylicadhesives are two-part liquids and pastes that are designed to bond thewidest variety of substances including hard-to-bond plastics and oilymetals and provide a high strength bond without the surface preparationusually required for epoxies and urethanes. In addition, tapes havingadhesive thereon can also be used to secure the shelves 12 to thesupport frame 14. Suitable tapes can include the 3M™ line of VHB™ tapes.

In one embodiment, the adhesive provides at least about 20 pounds ofconnective strength and can withstand temperatures ranging from about 10degrees to about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

While embodiments of the invention disclosed herein describeconstructions based on a vertical shelf system with horizontal shelves,one skilled in art should recognize that alternative configurations maybe employed without deviating from the scope of the invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious other changes, omissions and/or additions may be made andsubstantial equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed for carrying out this invention, butthat the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scopeof the appended claims. Moreover, unless specifically stated, any use ofthe terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, butrather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one elementfrom another.

1. A shelving system, comprising: a frame including a pair of spaced apart riser members, and at least one shelf extending between the riser members, wherein the at least one shelf is adhesively bonded to the riser members.
 2. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf is substantially L-shaped and includes a first surface extending outwards from the riser members and a second surface angled with respect to the first surface and bonded to the riser members.
 3. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the first surface is substantially perpendicular to the riser members.
 4. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the first surface includes a tilt along a horizontal direction.
 5. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the frame is made of metal.
 6. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf is made of metal.
 7. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the frame and the at least one shelf are made of metal.
 8. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the frame is one of metal and plastic and wherein the at least one shelf is the other of metal and plastic.
 9. The shelving system of claim 2, wherein the first surface includes rounded edges.
 10. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shelf includes a plurality of shelves and the shelves are substantially parallel to each other.
 11. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the frame is formed of a single integral piece.
 12. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the shelving system is mountable to a wall.
 13. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive bond includes at least one of a tape, glue, epoxy, urethane, and acrylic.
 14. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive bond includes an epoxy adhesive.
 15. The shelving system of claim 14, wherein the epoxy adhesive includes a two-part epoxy adhesive.
 16. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive bond is configured to provide at least substantially 20 pounds of connective strength.
 17. The shelving system of claim 1, wherein the adhesive bond is configured to withstand temperatures of substantially 10-400° F.
 18. A shelving system, comprising: a support frame including a pair of riser members spaced apart from each other and at least one cross bar connecting the riser members; and a plurality of shelves, each shelf attached to and extending between the riser members, wherein the shelves are adhesively bonded to the support members, and the shelves each including a first surface extending away from the riser members and a second surface, the second surface being angled with respect to the first surface and adhesively bonded to the riser members. 